Sectional electrical switchboard.



PATEN'IEI) MAR. 24, 1903.

T. W. JARDINE. SEGTIONAL ELECTRICAL SWITGHBOARD.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1902.

110 MODEL.

- www M @IGI W/TNE A TTHNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. JARDINE, OF ENGLEWOOD, NEV JERSEY.

sI-:cTloNAL ELECTRICAL .swlroHBoARo SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 723,607, dated March 24, 1903. Appncanon sled August8,1902. serial No. 118,842. No man T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. J ARDINE,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Englewood, Bergencounty, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSectional Electrical Switchboards, ot` which the following is aspecifica-` tion.

My invention relates to improvements in switchboards'for distributingelectrical current from a main line to different circuits; and theobject of the invention is to provide a switchboard arranged insectional parts in Vsuch manner that'the number of sections may bereadily increased or decreased in accordance with the number of circuitsto befed or supplied with the electric current from the main line, asnecessity may require; and my invention embraces the novel details ofimprovement that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and thenpointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming parthereof, wherein- Figure lis a plan viewof a sectional switchboardembodying my improvements. is a cross-section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section onthe line '4 4in Figi 1, and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 inFig. 1. p

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views.

In the drawings the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 indicate the sections ofa switchboard,which may be of suitable material, preferably insulatingmaterial, such as stone or the like, and said sections are so shapedthat they may be placed side by side, as indicated in Fig. 1, and theymay be held in position by screws and may be mounted upon a base 6, ifdesired, the arrangement being such that any desired number of suchsections may be utilized in a switchboard and some removed and othersadded, as the case may require. Upon one of the sections, as 1, to whichthe mainline or feed wires 7 S lead, is mounted a suitable switch 9,shown in the form of a knifeswitch, and suitable fuses or fusiblecut-outs 10 may be interposed between the terminals or contacts 9 of theswitch and the bindingposts 9b, to which the conductors 7 8 lead.

Fig. 2.

Upon the other sections of the board are located switches or fuses, orboth, to be placed in circuit with the contacts 9C of the switch 9. Asshown in the drawings, upon the section 2 are knife-switches 1l, thatconnect with the binding-posts l2 13, from which the circuit-conductors14 15 for distribution are connected,v and in the example shown suitable'fuses lO are interposed between the switches 11 and the binding-postsl2 13. On section 3 of the board snap-switches 18 are shown, betweenwhich and the binding-posts 1213areinterposedfuseslO. Onsection4thefuses l0 are-shown connected with the binding-posts 12 13 and theswitches are dispensed with, and on section 5`of the board are shownsprings or jacks 20, arranged in pairs, one of each pairbeing connectedwith the respective binding-posts 12 13. In this instance I have shownapull-out switch consisting of a head 21, having contacts 22 arranged inpairs and connected by a fuse or fuse-wire 23, the contacts 22 of eachpair being adapted to engage a pair of springs or jacks 20, there beingtwo pairs of contacts 22'on each head 2l to simultaneously engage twopairs of springs or jacks 2O in well-known manner. I have illustrateddifferent kinds of well-known switches for the purpose of showing thatany desired switches may be used in connection with my improvedswitchboard. When one or more switches are used on a section, thecorresponding terminals or contacts of the several switches areconnected bya conductor or' metal strip 25 26, so that similar sides ofthe switches will be in the same limb of the distributing-circuits. 2the contacts 1li are connected together by conductor 25, and thecontacts 11b are connected by conductor 26. On section 3 the conductors25 and 26 connect with corresponding terminals of the snap-'switches 18,the other terminals Vof said snap-switches being connected with thefuseslO, respectively, by conductors 27 28. On section 4 the conductors25 26 connect the corresponding fuses 10, and on section 5 theconductors 25 26, respectively, connect the corresponding adjacentcontacts or jacks 2.0.-/

The switches, dro., of the several sections of the board areelectrically connected with the contacts 9c of the main switch 9 byadjustable For instance, on section or detachable conductors adapted topermit any desired number of the sections to be used in conjunction, andthe arrangements I have shown for this purpose are as follows: Theconductor 25 of section 2 is connected by a conductor 30 with one of thecontacts 9, and the conductor 26 of said section is connected by aconductor 3i with the other contact 9c, and the connections are such asto enable the sections to be readily disconnected or assembled, forwhich purpose I utilize binding-posts or screws and nuts 32 forconnecting the contacts 9c with the conductors or strips 30 3l, and theconductor 25 is connected with the conductor 30 by a binding-post orscrew and nut 33, the conductor 26 being connected with the conductor3lby a binding-post 34, proper electrical circuit being made, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2, wherein it is seen that the conductors 3() 31 bear uponthe plate or foot of the contacts 9c. As other sections are assembled orplaced side by side the corresponding conductors 25 are connectedtogether, as are also the corresponding conductors 26, and to this endany required number of strips or conductors 35 are connected togetherand to the adjacent conductors 25 by binding-posts 36, and likewise theconductors 26 of the several sections are connected together by stripsor conductors 37 by the medium of binding-posts or screws and nuts 3S.(See Figs. l and As shown in Fig. 3, one end of each strip or conductoris bent so as to make a proper fit and good electrical contact.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the arrangements are suchthat one limb ot' the distributing-circuits is connected with the mainline 7 through the conductors 30, 25, and 35 and that the other limbs ofsaid circuits are connected with the main line 8 by the conductors 3l,26, and 37. By the means set forth when it is desired to increase thenumber of the sections to supply an increased number of circuits fromone main line it is merely necessary to place the desired section orsections side by side and connect the conductors or strips 35 and 37 inseries, respectively, with the conductors 25 and 26, and when the numberof sections arel to be reduced the appropriate conductors or strips 35and 37 can be readily disconnected and the desired section removed.

The advantages of my improvements will be apparent, as by the meansshown a switchboard can be built up to any desired proportions fordistributing from a main line having the switchboard already installedwithout the requirement of substituting an entirely new switchboard toaccommodate new circuits, which I understand is now the general practicein the class of electrical distribution to which my invention applies.

It is to be understood that the particular arrangement of switches,fuses, dac., which I have shown may be altered and that an arrangementsimilar to that shown for a threewire system may be installed byproperly applying the connections for the third wire upon each sectionand utilizing adjustable strips and conductors, like 35 and 37, forconnecting the third wire or circuits of the several sections, and othermodifications can be made and the details varied from those shownwithout departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim isl. A switchboardcomprising a plurality of sections each having a plurality of conductingelements for connection with a circuit, and adjustable means forconnecting the corresponding conducting elements of the several sectionstogether, substantially as described.

2. A switchboard comprising a plurality of sections, one of the sectionshaving a main switch for connection with a main line or circuit, theother sections each having conducting elements for connection withdistributingcircuits, conductors for connecting the main switch and theconducting elements of the sections together, and means for adj ustablyconnecting said conductors with such terminais or contacts,substantially as described.

3. A switchboard comprising a plurality of sections, one of the sectionshaving a switch for connection with a main line or circuit, and theother sections having switches for connection withdistributing-circuits, and conductors for connecting the correspondingterminals or contacts of the several switches together, and means foradjustably connecting said conductors with such terminals or contacts,substantially as described.

4. A switchboard comprising a plurality of sections, certain of thesections havinga plurality of switches, conductors for connecting thecorresponding terminals or contacts of the saine switches together,conductors or strips for connecting the corresponding conductors of thesections together, and means for adjustably connecting said conductorstogether, substantially as described.

5. A switchboard comprising a plurality ofsections adapted to be placedside by side each section having switches, conductors eX- tendinglengthwise of the sections connect- ICO IIO

ing the corresponding terminals or contacts Y of the adjacent switchestogether, conductors or strips adapted to extend transversely across thesections, and means for adjustably connecting each of said conductorswith the corresponding terminals or contacts of the several switches,substantially as described.

6. A switchboard comprising a plurality of sections adapted to be placedside by side, one of the sections having a main switch for connectionwith a main line or circuit, other sections having switches whosecorresponding terminals are electrically connected together,binding-posts connected with said terminals, and independent conductorsor strips each adapted to be connected With the correl nected with saidterminals, and independent spending terminals of two adjacent sections,strips adapted to be connected together and substantially as described.to extend from one section to another and ar- 7. A switchboardcomprising a plurality of ranged to be connected with corresponding csections adapted to be placed side by side, binding-posts on twosections, substantially-15 one of the sections having;r a main switchfor as described.

connection with a'main line or circuit, other THOS. W. JARDINE. sectionsyeach having a plurality of switches Witnesses: whose correspondingrterminals or contacts T. F. BOURNE,

1o are connected together, binding-posts con- I. E. MCKIGNEY.

